14 DAY TRIAL // The controversial WhatsApp privacy update that caused an en-masse transition to services like Telegram and Signal is now being pushed back for three months, with the Facebook-owned company claiming the rules would come into effect on May 15.
For background, WhatsApp’s privacy update revealed some data would be shared with Facebook and other companies, but earlier this week, the company explained the whole thing would concern businesses and not individual users.
“WhatsApp was built on a simple idea: what you share with your friends and family stays between you. This means we will always protect your personal conversations with end-to-end encryption, so that neither WhatsApp nor Facebook can see these private messages. It’s why we don’t keep logs of who everyone’s messaging or calling. We also can’t see your shared location and we don’t share your contacts with Facebook,” WhatsApp explains in a new blog post.
“With these updates, none of that is changing. Instead, the update includes new options people will have to message a business on WhatsApp, and provides further transparency about how we collect and use data. While not everyone shops with a business on WhatsApp today, we think that more people will choose to do so in the future and it’s important people are aware of these services. This update does not expand our ability to share data with Facebook.”
En-masse switch to Telegram and Signal
It's pretty clear WhatsApp has noticed the devastating effect its privacy policy update has had on the service, with millions of users making the switch to alternative platforms.
So the Facebook-owned company has decided to push back the deadline for three months, explaining that its goal is now to help users understand the updated terms.
It remains to be seen if this delay slows down the migration to other products, but for now, it’s very clear privacy remains a big concern for millions of users out there.